Warriors : Death Sentence
by Mossfeather of ThunderClan
Summary: Swiftfoot is blamed for a crime he didn't commit, and is sentenced to death. He flees the Clan, in hope of escaping. The Clan that sentenced Swiftfoot to death searches for him, and the ex-warrior's life is in flipped into constant turmoil, until they meet a certain cat that changes everything.
1. Allegiances

**MountainClan**

LEADER: **Frozenstar**: a white she-cat with pale grey speckles all over her body, icy blue eyes and a pale pink nose.

DEPUTY: **Mistfoot**: a silvery-grey she-cat with blue eyes, white paws and chest fur

MEDICINE CAT: **Acornfall**: a brown and white tom with pale green eyes _(Apprentice: Crowpaw)_

WARRIORS:

**Ebonycloud**: a black and white she-cat with ginger flecks and dark green eyes

**Silverwing**: a silver tabby she-cat with green-blue eyes (_Apprentice: Bramblepaw_)

**Wasptail**: a golden tom with black spots, white paws and grey-green eyes

**Skyfire**: a hyper blue-grey she-cat with bright green eye

**Brightrose**: a golden tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes

**Buzzardflight**: a kind dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Spottedthorn**:a skinny brown and white tom with black speckles and green-blue eyes _(Apprentice: Spiderpaw)_

**Lilyshade**: a dark cream she-cat with dark brown paws and tail-tip

**Swiftfoot**: a black and white spotted tom with amber eyes

**Falcontooth**: a dark brown tom with pale green eyes, white paws and chest fur

**Nightfeather**: a jumpy black she-cat with yellow eyes, white paws and ear tips

APPRENTICES:

**Spiderpaw**: a long-legged dark brown and black tabby tom, amber eyes

**Bramblepaw**: a golden and white patched tom with spiky fur and green eyes

**Crowpaw**: a black tom, white paws and dark blue eyes

QUEENS:

**Breezepetal**: a black and white she-cat with green eyes (Mother to Wasptail's kits: **Badgerkit** (black and white spotted tom with amber eyes), **Sagekit** (black and white dappled she-cat with forest green eyes) and **Honeykit** (golden-brown and white she-cat with green eyes))

ELDERS:

**Whitefeather**: a deaf white she-cat, pale blue eyes and a long fluffy tail

**Clouddapple**: a silver and white spotted she-cat with dark green eyes

**TunnelClan**

LEADER: **Finchstar**: a light brown tabby tom, green eyes flecked with gold, white paws, belly and tail-tip.

DEPUTY: **Heathernose**: a pale brown she-cat with green-brown eyes and white paws

MEDICINE CAT: **Dawnlight**: a pale brown tabby she-cat, grey-blue eyes

WARRIORS:

**Mapleleap**: a strongly-built, hyper dark brown she-cat, white paws and chest fur

**Owlwing**: a brown she-cat with a black tail-tip and large amber eyes _(Apprentice: Frostpaw)_

**Flamefur**: a serious, small ginger she-cat, dark amber eyes and white paws

**Ravenwhisker**: a tiny black tom with large blue eyes, long whiskers, and white ear tips _(Apprentice: Muddypaw)_

**Blazeheart**: a ginger tom with green eyes, white paws, and a darker muzzle

**Sparrowfang**: a golden tom with paler stripes and green eyes

**Snowflower**: a white she-cat with a ginger tail-tip and yellow-gold eyes

**Iceclaw**: a silvery-white tom with golden eyes and white paws

**Appleleaf**: a ginger tabby she-cat with bright green eyes _(Apprentice: Berrypaw)_

**Runningsky**: a pale ginger she-cat with bright forest-green eyes, previous loner

**Hareflight**: a light brown tabby and white she-cat with sea-blue eyes

APPRENTICES:

**Frostpaw**: a long-furred silver she-cat with pale blue eyes, white paws and chest

**Muddypaw**: a dark brown tom with barely-visible black tabby stripes, one white paw

**Berrypaw**: a pale ginger she-cat, white paws and muzzle, blue eyes

QUEENS:

**Petalsplash**: a golden and white she-cat with green eyes (Mother to Ravenwhisker's kits: **Dustkit** (dark grey tom, blue eyes and white paws), **Ivykit** (pale golden tabby she-cat with green eyes) and **Lionkit** (dark golden tom, amber eyes))

Elders:

**Mistystripe**: a silky-furred silver tabby she-cat, pale amber eyes and white paw

**BirchClan**

LEADER: **Goldenstar**: a golden she-cat with white dapples and blue-sea-green eyes

DEPUTY: **Larksong**: a very pale brown tabby she-cat with white paws and chest fur, blue eyes _(Apprentice: Rainpaw)_

MEDICINE CAT: **Hawkwing**: a dark brown tom, yellow eyes, white paws and chest fur

WARRIORS:

**Fernshade**: a dark brown she-cat with deep green eyes, white tail-tip _(Apprentice: Icepaw)_

**Brackenfoot**: a golden-brown tabby tom, green eyes and a white tail tip

**Squirrelblaze**: a dark ginger tom with a lighter underside, green eyes flecked with gold

**Aspenwing**: a lean light brown tabby she-cat, white paws and chest with pretty blue eyes

**Flaresky**: a bright ginger tabby and white tom, long tail and green eyes _(Apprentice: Sootpaw)_

**Palespots**: a white and pale silver she-cat, dark amber eyes

**Ambershade**: a pale ginger tabby she-cat with dark amber eyes

**Blueflower**: a pretty blue-grey she-cat with white paws and green eyes

**Littlefrost**: a petite white she-cat with bright green eyes

**Thrushfang**: a snappy pale brown tabby tom, yellow eyes and white paws

**Stormbrook**: a shy, large, muscular grey tom with green eyes and a white underside, previously a BrookClan cat

**Featherflight**: a dark grey she-cat with paler feathery tabby markings, white paws and muzzle

**Tawnyfur**: a tawny tabby she-cat with blue eyes and white chest fur

APPRENTICES:

**Sootpaw**: a white tom with dark grey paws and green eyes

**Rainpaw**: a dappled grey she-cat with large amber eyes, white paws and chest

**Whiskerpaw**: a fluffy white she-cat, frosty ice-blue eyes

QUEENS:

**Cherryshine**: a sleek-furred dark ginger she-cat (Mother to Stormbrook's kits: **Stonekit** (dark grey tom, green eyes) and **Redkit** (dark ginger she-cat with pale grey-green eyes))

**Nutpelt**: a short-furred dark brown she-cat (Mother to Thrushfang's kits: **Leafkit** (pale brown tabby she-cat, amber-golden eyes) and **Sprucekit** (dark brown tom with green eyes))

Elders:

**Darkflight**: dark grey and black spotted she-cat, white paws and green eyes

**BrookClan**

LEADER: **Sandstar**: a sandy-yellow she-cat with amber -golden eyes, white paws.

DEPUTY: **Morningcloud**: a cream and grey patched she-cat, green eyes flecked with yellow,

MEDICINE CAT:** Minnowfeather**: a silver tabby she-cat, pale grey tabby stripes and white paws, blue eyes flecked with gold (_Apprentice: Dapplepaw)_

WARRIORS:

**Sheepfur**: a fluffy white tom, piercing pale blue eyes and pale grey paws

**Blossomspots**: a calico she-cat, blue eyes and excess white patches all over her

**Pineshade**: a dark brown she-cat with patches of ginger all over her body

**Lightfeather**: a honey-and-white colored she-cat with blue eyes flecked with green around the center

**Firestreak**: a bright ginger she-cat with white streaks along her spine, amber eyes

**Eaglelight**: a dark, pale and medium brown spotted she-cat with white paws and tail-tip

**Specklepelt**: a beautiful white she-cat with tiny golden flecks all over her body, blue eyes

**Rockstorm**: a sleek-furred dark grey tom with piercing amber eyes and white-tipped ears

**Troutclaw**: a small pale brown tabby tom, white paws and green eyes

**Mudfoot**: a strong, completely white tom with dark brown paws, tail-tip, ear-tips and muzzle

**Rushclaw**: speedy grey tom with dark grey tabby stripes, white spots all over his body

**Goldheart**: a dark golden tom with deep blue eyes, white paws and chest fur _(Apprentice: Salmonpaw)_

**Riverpelt**: a scruffy-looking blue-grey tom with white paws and a short tail

**Barkclaw**: a fierce mottled brown tom with white paws and blue eyes

**Fawnspots**: a pale brown she-cat with dappled flanks and white back paws

**Drizzlestreak**: a speedy silver tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes and a white chest

APPRENTICES:

**Pikepaw**: a dark brown and pale brown spotted tom with blue eyes and white paws

**Dapplepaw**: a calico she-cat with blue eyes and excess black on her fur

QUEENS:

**Daisytail**: a pretty cream-colored she-cat with yellow eyes (Mother to Rushclaw's kits: **Streamkit** (pale grey she-cat with darker tabby stripes, yellow eyes), **Reedkit** (cream and grey she-cat with spiky fur and yellow eyes) and **Cloudkit** (cream she-cat with white splotches all over her body, blue eyes))

**Streamfire**: a grey tortoiseshell she-cat (Expecting Riverpelt's kits)

**Blacktail**: a dark grey she-cat with a black tail-tip (Mother to Barkclaw's kits: **Oakkit** (mottled brown tom with a black tail-tip) and **Tigerkit** (dark brown tom with a darker muzzle and paws))

ELDERS:

**Lynxdapple**: a sleek dappled golden tabby she-cat with white paws and belly

**ShadeClan**

LEADER: **Jaystar**: a blue-gray tom with dark gray patches, white paws, chest, and blue-green eyes

DEPUTY: **Weaselnose**: a cream and brown tom with green eyes, white paws and chest fur

MEDICINE CAT: **Ripplestripe**: a silver she-cat with dark grey tabby stripes, white paws

WARRIORS:

**Dovestreak**: a pale grey she-cat with white streaks across her fur, blue eyes

**Mousedapple**: a light brown dappled she-cat with green eyes and a white chest

**Grasswhisker**: a cream-colored tom with long fur, bright green eyes and white paws

**Tansywing**: a white and golden she-cat, stubby tail and sparkling hazel eyes

**Ferretpelt**: a grey tabby tom with large green eyes and white paws

**Robinblaze**: a brown and ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Beechclaw**: a brown and white tom with paler speckles, green eyes _(Apprentice: Shrewpaw)_

**Hailclaw**: a frosty white tom with pale amber eyes

**Goosewing**: a grey and white patched she-cat, blue eyes and a long tail

**Shaderose**: dark grey she-cat with fiery amber eyes, white paws _(Apprentice, Gorsepaw)_

**Gingerfall**: bright ginger she-cat with large green eyes, white paws and chest fur

APPRENTICES:

**Shrewpaw**: a dark gray-brown tom with green eyes, white paws

**Gorsepaw**: a spiky-furred, dusty-brown tom with amber eyes

QUEENS:

**Marshcloud**: a dark brown she-cat, paler paws and belly fur (Expecting Ferretpelt's kits)

**Volestripe**: a dark brown tabby and white she-cat, mother to Beechclaw's kits **Furzekit **(dark brown tom, green eyes) and **Rootkit **(dark brown tabby tom, green eyes)

ELDERS:

**Russetpelt**: a ginger tabby tom, blind in his left eye

**ShellClan**

LEADER: **Puddlestar**: a silver tabby she-cat with blue-grey tabby stripes, yellow eyes flecked with amber

DEPUTY:**Mintfang**: a pale grey tom with darker grey splotches, blue-green eyes and white paws

MEDICINE CAT: **Turtlecloud**: a fluffy brown tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes and white paws

DUNE-RUNNERS:

**Adderstrike**: a pale brown tom with green eyes, white paws and long claws

**Yellowstreak**: a sandy brown she-cat with green eyes and a white chest

**Pebblestep**: a cream she-cat with sandy-brown tabby markings on her legs and blue eyes

**Saltfoot**: a cream tom with white paws and green eyes

SWIMMERS:

**Smokepelt**: a black and dark grey spotted tom with green eyes and white paws _(Apprentice: Sharkpaw) _

**Wavesplash**: a blue-grey tabby tom with green eyes and white chest fur

**Rockfur**: a mottled dark grey tom with blue eyes and white paws

**Pelicanstorm**: a strong white and dark brown tom with green eyes _(Apprentice: Tidepaw)_

**Briarstripe**: a spiky-furred silver tabby she-cat with a longish tail and white paws

**Onefoot**: a dark brown and black tom with blue eyes, has one white paw and chest fur

**Whitewater**: a white and blue-grey spotted tom with one green eye and one blue

**Foampelt**: a fluffy pale grey she-cat with white paws, muzzle, ear tips and tail-tip

**Heronflight**: a white and black she-cat with blue eyes

APPRENTICES:

**Tidepaw**: a blue-grey she-cat with white paws and bright blue eyes

**Sharkpaw**: a stony-grey tom with darker paws and amber eyes

QUEENS:

**Dolphinsplash**: a pale grey she-cat with bright blue eyes and a white chest (Mother to Onefoot's kits: **Cloudkit **(pale grey she-cat with green eyes), **Coralkit **(pale ginger she-cat with white paws and blue eyes) and **Reefkit** (dark brown tom with a white chest and blue eyes))

**Eelpelt**: a black she-cat with white paws and chest (Expecting Whitewater's kits)

ELDERS:

**Bassfur**: a pale brown tabby tom, grey-green eyes and white tail-tip

**MeadowClan**

LEADER: **Kestrelstar**: a pale sandy-ginger tabby tom with dark ginger speckles and green eyes

DEPUTY:** Hawktalon**: a dark brown tabby tom, deep blue eyes which are lighter towards the center, white paws, chest, tail-tip, belly fur and muzzle

MEDICINE CAT: **Poppytail**: a ginger she-cat with paler tabby stripes, blue eyes and white paws _(Apprentice: Pricklepaw)_

WARRIORS:

**Tinyshadow**: a small, dark brown tabby she-cat with deep green eyes

**Pondwhisker**: a dark blue-grey tom, white paws and deep blue eyes

**Duskfire**: a fiesty dark grey she-cat with white paws and chest, blue eyes and a long tail

**Dewfoot**: a fluffy white she-cat with very pale grey paws and blue eyes

**Lostear**: a dark grey she-cat with white splotches on both flanks, blue eyes, missing one ear and has many scars scattered across her body

**Sleetfoot**: a grey tom with white speckles and paws

**Magpie**: a black and white patched she-cat with deep green eyes flecked with amber, ex-loner

**Mottleshade**: a shy, mottled dark brown tom with amber eyes and a white spot on his forehead

**Rosefrost**: a bright ginger she-cat with white paws, muzzle and tail-tip, minty green eyes

**Shadowleaf**: a glossy black she-cat with a white splotch on her chest, green eyes, ex-medicine cat apprentice

**Wolfdapple**: a dappled pale grey she-cat with white paws and tail tip

**Foggypelt**: a dappled grey she-cat with white paws and speckles, green eyes

**Mallowfoot**: a long-legged pale ginger she-cat with green eyes and white paws

**Scorchwind**: a long-legged dark ginger tom with lighter ginger patches and amber eyes

APPRENTICES:

**Timberpaw**: a sleek-furred brown tabby tom with deep blue eyes, white paws and chest

**Foxpaw**: a russet-colored tom with green eyes and white paws

**Pricklepaw**: a spiky-furred grey and white she-cat, blind blue eyes

QUEENS:

**Fallowstream**: a cream she-cat with yellow eyes (Mother to Kestrelstar's kits: **Thistlekit** (cream and brown tom with spiky fur and green eyes) and **Sunnykit** (cream she-cat with yellow eyes and a white tail tip))

ELDERS:

**Smallcloud**: a small, fluffy white she-cat with bright blue eyes

**ChasmClan**

LEADER: **Patchstar**: a white and black patched tom, grey paws and tail-tip, blue eyes

DEPUTY: **Cedarnose**: a soft-furred dark brown tabby tom with light amber eyes

MEDICINE CAT: **Juniperleaf**: a pale ginger tabby tom with green eyes and a white paw

WARRIORS:

**Slatefoot**: a sleek-furred grey tabby tom, darker paws and green eyes

**Pebbletail**: a white tom with a grey tail-tip and paws, green eyes

**Emberstripe**: a ginger tom with darker tabby stripes, white back paws and blue eyes

**Granitepatch**: a grey calico tom with blue eyes

**Cliffleap**: a dusty brown tom with green eyes and white paws _(Apprentice: Alderpaw)_

**Ironclaw**: a sleek-furred silver tom with white paws and stony grey-blue eyes

**Coalstorm**: a confident black tom with grey-green eyes and a white tail-tip

**Driftfeather**: a pale grey tabby she-cat with white speckles and blue eyes

**Larchpelt**: a dark grey tom with lighter paws and tail-tip, amber eyes

**Mossheart**: a pale golden-brown tabby tom with white paws and blue eyes

**Willowleaf**: a pale brown tabby she-cat and yellow-gold eyes, white paws and chest

**Snakefang**: a black tom, green eyes and white tail-tip

APPRENTICES:

**Alderpaw**: a brown tabby tom, green eyes and white paws

QUEENS:

**Flowerspeckle**: a tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes (Mother to Coalstorm's kits **Quailkit** (black and white spotted tom with blue eyes), **Pantherkit** (black she-cat, amber eyes) and **Splashkit** (calico she-cat with green eyes)

ELDERS:

**Sedgedapple**: a silver spotted tabby she-cat, blue eyes and white chest fur

_**insert linebreak here on FFN because it deletes what-nevermind. i've already said that.**_

Okay! The allegiances are updated, redesigned and fixed beyond fixing.

Most of the credit (like 95%) goes to super epic awesome superb amazing fantastic beta-reader, Abber! Thank chu so much!

*hands plushies of every cat in the whole series to Abber* Have fun with them!

**Abber: **I will be sitting here re-enacting everything with these! *begins boxing them to be transported to my house*

**Stormy: **Have fun. I might join you on Tuesday. That good with ya? XD Fun. Hey! I'll bring my plushie - wait, you have all of them so...you have them all. Nevermind. xD Me funny and stupid. XD

**Abber: **You can have all the plushies from my story and we can have epic battles.

**Stormy: **OOOOH! Fun! Awesomeness. *sees pile of plushies appear* Hehe. *steals one of your boxes and begins to stuff them in*


	2. Chapter One

_A/N: Fudge…another new story…_

**Chapter 1**

"Morning, Swiftfoot!" Buzzardflight called out to the black-and-white warrior.

"Morning!" he meowed, dropping his catches on the fresh-kill pile, the heap of food now consisting of a mouse, two sparrows, a robin, a rabbit, and a vole, the rabbit and vole courtesy of Swiftfoot. The tom was a great hunter.

"Hey, Swiftfoot!" Brightrose called out, waving to him with her golden-ringed tail, "How're you doing?"

"I'm doing fine," he called back, grinning, "How are you?"

Before Brightrose could respond, Wasptail called out, "Ay, Swiftfoot, you up for some huntin' later?"

"'Course!" he yelled back at the golden-and-black spotted tom.

"Hello, Swiftfoot," Frozenstar dipped her grey-speckled head, "Can you lead a border patrol along the TunnelClan border?"

The popular tom nodded, "Of course, Frozenstar. Who shall I take?"

The leader looked around the cave before deciding, "Just take Buzzardflight, Brightrose and Wasptail."

He nodded at the cats he had been talking to a moment ago and led them out of the cave that MountainClan lived in.

Swiftfoot narrowed his eyes against the harsh sunlight; no MountainClan cat really liked the glowing yellow orb, floating almost aimlessly in the sky.

They padded on, pressing close to the cliff face so they wouldn't fall off the other end.

One would think that a MountainClan cat would be immune to the fear of falling, though every cat had at least a dozen nightmares about tumbling off the cliff to their doom before they were even a warrior.

Suddenly, a crack was heard and a large piece of the rock slipped out from under Wasptail's golden paw.

He stepped over the newly-created gap and acted as if nothing had happened, as if that happened every day- which it did.

Just as the cats emerged onto the hard dirt ground between MountainClan's stone domain and the line of bushes that marked the TunnelClan border, Brightrose slipped off and chased down a fast-moving white shape.

She trotted back to her patrol with a fat, white rabbit.

"Ah, the joys of new-leaf," Swiftfoot purred, his amber eyes sparkling as he looked at the juicy food.

Brightrose suddenly got a defensive look in her bright, sky-blue eyes, and stepped away from Swiftfoot, growling, as if the black-and-white tom was going to steal her catch.

Swiftfoot just dipped his head and turned away, deciding to let Brightrose cool down by herself. The she-cat was very nice, but had sudden mood swings when she thought some cat was threating her, whether the threat be hidden or out in the open.

"They've crossed the border!" Wasptail exclaimed, his black-tipped tail lashing in anger, "Those smelly dung-diggers!"

Buzzardflight lost the kind look on his face and twisted his mouth into a snarl, leaping forward so he was beside Wasptail. He put his dark nose to the ground, raising his head back up with a growl, "He's right. It's fresh, too."

"Should we track them down?" Brightrose asked, having cooled down, "I want a good fight. It's been peaceful for too long, for my liking, at least…"

"Only if they're still along the border," Swiftfoot declared, "We aren't going to drop to their level and cross the border."

"Fine," Brightrose shrugged, "But if we find them, I'm attacking. I hope Finchstar is in that patrol…I want to teach him a little something about _controlling his warriors_."

Swiftfoot nodded, flexing his claws. The thorn-like objects curled into the dirt, sinking in all the way.

"Bury your rabbit," Swiftfoot told Brightrose, "It'll be easier to fight."

She nodded and quickly dug a large hole with her callused paws, dropping the rabbit it and pushing dirt over it, with the help of Wasptail.

"I don't need your _assistance_," she hissed, narrowing her blue eyes at the golden-and-black spotted tom.

"Sorry," he meowed, backing away and averting his gaze.

"Let's go," Swiftfoot took off down the border, his powerful muscles flexing as he propelled himself forward down the border, his claws tearing up clumps of dirt. He heard his companions' pawsteps thrumming the ground behind him.

He spotted the patrol, consisting of three cats. Finchstar wasn't present, but Heathernose, the deputy, was.

He put on a burst of speed, signaling with his tail for the TunnelClan patrol to stop. Heathernose dipped her head and sat down, curling her tail around her paws, cocking her head curiously.

He pulled himself to a halt right on the other side of the border, facing the patrol. Brightrose, Buzzardflight and Wasptail all skidded up beside him, panting. He caught his breath, then addressed Heathernose, "Hello."

"Hi, Swiftfoot," she meowed, raising her chin in a sign of superiority. He dipped his head.

"We found your cats' scent on the wrong side of the border," Swiftfoot started.

The pale brown deputy pulled her lips into a snarl, narrowing her green eyes, too, "You must be mistaken."

"They're right!" a pale ginger apprentice, who Swiftfoot recalled as Berrypaw, meowed, "I didn't want to do it! But Appleleaf had me chase a white rabbit across the border. It got away! I'm so sorry! I felt so bad!"

The apprentice's blue eyes were watering, and Swiftfoot could tell she felt really guilty, "It's not your fault, it's your mentors'."

Appleleaf twisted a snarl onto her face, but stayed silent. Berrypaw glanced at her mentor, and Swiftfoot swore he saw fear in her eyes. Was Appleleaf abusing her apprentice?

In TunnelClan, apprentice abuse was common, too common, for Swiftfoot's taste. TunnelClan was a group of very harsh, cruel cats, and if an apprentice didn't do what they were told, their mentor, or any other cat, may resort to clawing them, or hitting them. TunnelClan thought they didn't have room for 'messing up,' so any mistake must be punished.

"We're sorry," Heathernose meowed, though Swiftfoot knew she really wasn't, "We'll be going now. I have more important things to do than talk to MountainClan hawk-brains."

The patrol turned away, and out of the corner of Swiftfoot's eye, the black-and-white tom saw Appleleaf lash out at Berrypaw. The she-cat squealed and ducked away.

"Stop it!" Swiftfoot couldn't have stopped himself, and if he could've, he probably wouldn't have, "She just did what you said."

"She's a horrible apprentice," Appleleaf hissed, "She's too soft, forgiving, kind…she's not TunnelClan's kind of cat. Rumor has it that Finchstar will leave her out to die…"

Swiftfoot was enraged that Appleleaf just said that in front of the very cat the rumor was about.

"If you want her, take her," Appleleaf shoved her apprentice forward roughly, "We won't miss her and we don't need her. She's a softie- perfect for your Clan."

"We might just take her, if that's okay with Berrypaw," Brightrose stepped in, her motherly side coming out.

"Yes!" Berrypaw sprinted towards the MountainClan patrol, but not before Appleleaf reached out and bit her tail tip, and also scored her sharp claws across Berrypaw's back leg.

Brightrose padded forward and helped Berrypaw across the row of bushes, the young she-cat trembling, tears also running down her face.

Instead of facing the other three toms, she limped along beside Brightrose, her tears dropping to the ground every few moments.

"She'll be a better warrior than you are!" Swiftfoot called out, before the TunnelClan patrol was out of ear-shot, "You'll regret giving her up."

Heathernose shrugged, apparently not shocked that Appleleaf had just given Berrypaw away, and continued padding across the moor with her patrol.

"It's going to be okay," Brightrose meowed comfortingly, "Acornfall will get you all fixed up, and we'll get you a new mentor! Then you can forget all about TunnelClan and start to train in the ways of our Clan."

"Do you have any family?" Swiftfoot dared to ask, wondering why it had been so easy for Berrypaw to leave TunnelClan.

Brightrose shot him a death glare, but allowed the apprentice to answer.

"N-No," she stuttered, "My mother and father were killed in battle, and I was an only kit."

_So that's why she didn't have a problem leaving her Clan, _Swiftfoot nodded. Brightrose pressed against the young apprentice comfortingly.

"How old are you?" Brightrose asked gently.

"Five moons, I've been training for two."

That stopped the whole patrol in their tracks, "What?"

"I was apprenticed at three moons, and have been training for two."

"Finchstar is apprenticing kits at three moons now?" the patrol started walking again as Wasptail spoke, "That's against the warrior code!"

"What's that?" the patrol was stopped once again.

"Apprentices don't learn the warrior code anymore?" it was Buzzardflight's turn to speak, "That's about to change. Here in MountainClan, we _live _by the warrior code."

"It sounds noble," Berrypaw meowed respectfully.

"Oh, it is," Wasptail nodded.

The cats arrived back to camp, and as Wasptail went to inform Frozenstar of what happened, Swiftfoot's memories of his recent actions came flooding back.

_What if Frozenstar doesn't accept her? What if she has to leave MountainClan? She'd have to find another Clan. What if no other Clans take her in? She'd have to live as a rogue._

He was jerked out of his thoughts a moment later as Frozenstar began to climb up the Crumbling Boulder, to make an announcement, "Berrypaw, previously of TunnelClan, shall now be joining us! She is a survivor of mentor-apprentice abuse, so please be nice to her."

The cats' eyes all softened as they showed their sympathy for the apprentice.

"Let's all thank Swiftfoot for saving her life!" Frozenstar continued, "By offering to take her in."

The cats all cheered Swiftfoot's name, as well as Berrypaw herself.

The meeting dispersed and the cats went back to their duties after offering their names to Berrypaw.

"Let's get you all fixed up," Brightrose led Berrypaw into the medicine, crimson drops still flooding out of the cuts.

Swiftfoot padded to the warriors' den, which was empty, and that's when he really broke down.

He put on a 'cool and collected' front when he was in public- but inside, his feelings and thoughts were one massive, swirling windstorm. He didn't understand how TunnelClan could be so cruel, to just an apprentice. He wished he could take over TunnelClan and end their cruel ways.

_I can,_ he mused, thinking, _if I become leader, I can help TunnelClan! I can help TunnelClan leave their horrible, horrible ways and become a strong, fast Clan! We can be known as…PeakClan! Yes, a massive Clan. Their territory will be MountainClan's and TunnelClan's combined…it'll be a great thing…_

The tom was jolted out of his thoughts by Brightrose, "You ought to see this."

He followed the golden tabby out of the den and across the cave to the medicine den.

Acornfall was looking over Berrypaw, the light ginger apprentice looking rather scared.

"So, when she was a kit, something happened to her hind leg," Acornfall started without even looking up at the new visitor, "By feeling it, I think it was broken. It wasn't set properly. Two of her claws were torn out, on the same paw, and both got infected, and they still are. Her right ear was torn when she was younger and it's infected; and might spread to the inside of her ear, so she could go deaf in one ear. A cut on her nose is also infected. Her tail tip will have to be removed, because right now, it's dangling from a piece of flesh, thanks to her old mentor. The scratches I am just treating with some marigold."

Swiftfoot shook his head sadly, "Poor cat."

"Yeah," Acornfall meowed, "Well, you should go now. She needs rest. And you're keeping her from getting it."

Swiftfoot ducked out of the den, but Brightrose curled up beside the hurt apprentice.

_Come to think of it, _Swiftfoot thought, _If Berrypaw doesn't get out of the medicine den before she's six moons, she'll go to the nursery! Huh. To think that she's been an apprentice for two moons._

Swiftfoot grabbed a mouse off the fresh-kill pile, only now remembering the white rabbit that Brightrose had caught and buried. He decided to try and look for it in the morning.

The black-and-white tom settled down on the opposite end of the cave when a white-and-brown tom, speckled with black, padded over to him, "Mind if I join?"

"Hey, Spottedthorn," Swiftfoot greeted his best friend since kithood, "Go right ahead. Here, have some, I'm not all that hungry."

The tom dipped his head and took a bite of the mouse's flank, as did Swiftfoot.

"So, what's the deal with Berrypaw?" Spottedthorn asked around a mouthful of rodent, "Mentor-apprentice abuse, or what?"

"Clan-apprentice abuse, really," Swiftfoot meowed, "Apprenticed at three moons; she's five moons now. Stupid Finchstar. I wish he's just loose his last three lives already."

"Is Heathernose any better, though?"

"Better than Finchstar," Swiftfoot decided after a moment of thought, "But barely. Maybe she'll appoint a good cat as deputy. Maybe something will kill Heathernose before she gets her nine lives. Maybe the good cat will take over. Maybe the good cat will change TunnelClan's ways."

"Might as well add 'maybe I will kill Heathernose and Finchstar' in there as well," Spottedthorn joked.

"Maybe I will," the black-and-white tom rolled his eyes.

The toms finished the mouse in silence, and Swiftfoot left Spottedthorn to bury the bones as he padded off to go to sleep.

He ducked into the warriors' den and looked up. Through a small crack in the roof, he could tell it was sunset. He curled up in his moss-and-twig nest, and closed his amber eyes.

…


End file.
